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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rash — a series
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fine — all right
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. chest — a box
  10. degree — temperature
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cue — a signal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fine — high quality
  20. wind — moving air
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rash — hasty
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com